Ainias Smith may be headed for Injured Reserve after reportedly complaining of ankle and hamstring discomfort after the preseason finale Saturday at the Linc, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Smith, the Eagles’ rookie 5th-round receiver, isn’t expected to contribute right off the bat, but the Eagles don’t want to expose him to the waiver wire, so if he went on IR it would be an unfortunate but convenient way to retain his rights without him counting against the 53-man roster.
Rapoport said Smith was undergoing an MRI on Monday.
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After a sluggish start to training camp, Smith had come on over the last week and a half and did some encouraging things both at practice and the last two preseason games. He caught the game-winning two-point conversion from Tanner McKee in New England and had six catches against the Vikings Saturday.
“I was just pressing earlier,” he said. “I was just pressing, trying to do too much, trying to worry about other things that I'm not able to control and now I'm just letting everything come to me.”
Effective this year, there are two forms of in-season IR. The Eagles could place Smith on IR before final cuts at 4 p.m. Tuesday and designate him to return after four weeks or they could place him on old-fashioned IR and he’d miss the entire season.
The results of the MRI would likely determine whether he’s placed on IR and if so which list he goes on. Teams can place two players on the four-week version of IR and Tyler Steen would be a likely candidate for one of those spots.
NFL
Smith would be the sixth receiver on the roster if he doesn’t go on IR, behind A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Jahan Dotson, Johnny Wilson and Britain Covey.
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